


Good Days

by dawnsummers



Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Grief, Post-Season/Series 01, switching POVs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29977242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnsummers/pseuds/dawnsummers
Summary: When John B and Sarah left, they left a mess behind. JJ, Pope and Kie deal.
Relationships: JJ/Pope (Outer Banks)
Kudos: 5





	Good Days

**_August 2017_ **

_Every August, the Outer Banks starts to bleed tourists. Everyone who spent June and July at their summer home, or a rented condo, or a hotel room, or a friend’s house: all of them pack their bathing suits back into their Subarus and take the next ferry to the mainland. For the restaurant, it means their busy time is over. For the Pogues it just means they have one last precious week of freedom before the fall semester._

_(And for Kie, that fall semester is ninth grade at Kook Academy. So she’s just trying not to think about it.)_

_It’s one of those clear, peaceful nights, half moon looking down on the water, lit up with all the bright lights and sounds of a beach kegger. And JJ is taking full advantage of the evening by doing what he does best, which is act stupid._

_“Is that Topper?” There’s beer sloshing around a red solo cup in his hand. They all try normally not to drink while in the company of Kooks, because Rafe and his friends can be mean, if they catch you when you’re too dizzy to run, but right now it’s dark and a little chilly and the alcohol is a warm buzz in her stomach. “Kie, you should go talk to him. You’re going to be classmates.”_

_Pope scoffs, and then stops himself to look at her nervously, like he’s just remembered what JJ’s saying is true. His head is on JJ’s shoulder. He’s a nervous drunk, (amazing, because he’s already nervous enough sober.)“You’ll have better classmates than him,” he says, and Kie’s stomach twists._

_She looks at the crowd of stupid, drunk rich kids swarmed close to the water, at the other end of the beach from them. Even now, sharing an island with them is like keeping peace with a moody pack of lions. She’s not really excited about crossing into their territory. “I don’t want to talk about this.”_

_“Lay off, guys.” That’s John B, cross legged next to her. He has his phone awkwardly in hand because curfew’s soon and if they don’t keep track of time his dad will be pissed. John B has an actual cool dad, so he hates disappointing him even more._

_Something sort of melancholy comes over her that night, feet in the sand surrounded by her best friends and feeling the end of summer. It’s like, even now, when they’re supposed to be young and stupid, she’s afraid of everything ending._

_(Well, she would be. Her parents want her to go to an asshole prep school with a bunch of rich idiots. And there's idiot #1: fifteen year old Bitch Princess over there, Wade Cameron’s daughter, on some kids shoulders and screaming her head off. Whatever she had must have been more than a Coor’s Light. Kie can’t believe she’s supposed to be proud to get along with people like—)_

**_August 2020_ **

_Pope says:"Did you find them?"_

_Shoupe says: "No."_

**_October 2020_ ** ****

“Sarah Cameron?”

Fuck.

Kie pulls herself back into the here and now. She’s pretty sure the last thing out of her mouth was, _what?_

“I said, it’s awful what happened to her,” the customer continues. She’s a middle aged woman, probably forty something, nice skin, sitting across from her husband and looking up at Kie with a sympathetic expression. “We saw the memorials on the way here. So touching.” The woman pauses, maybe noticing Kie’s expression. “I’m sorry, dear,” she says, sounding like she even means it. “Did you know her?”

The answer sticks in Kie’s throat. It hurts.

“No,” she chokes out. “I didn’t. I’m sorry, did you want to order something?”

* * *

So, yeah. It's been the worst two months of her life.


End file.
